Just A Nightmare
by Life By A Different Name
Summary: I played and finished Final Fantasy VII and Crisis Core on my PSP Go and watched Book of Eli. The same night I had a strange nightmare/dream which took me to the world of FF7. Thought it would make a good fan fiction and cure my writers block.
1. Chapter 1

Hello, the name's Howard. I'm just like every other 16 year-old boy except for the fact that I have a couple screws loose. You see, I cannot sleep for longer than 6 hours without suffering from chest pain, I don't dream usually, and I have the ability to self-induce an adrenaline rush. My father was a sergeant in a civil war, I won't say the country. Due to this I've been trained to do everything he could do from shooting to hand to hand combat. I don't really have one place to call home due to the fact that I move between the United States and Central America. One night after staying up to finish watching the Book of Eli, I went to sleep just like every other night but when I woke up I didn't really wake up.

* * *

It was about six a.m. when my alarm went off I turned it off and went back to what I was doing since four a.m., which was playing Chrono Trigger. I usually get up too early to start getting ready for school and today was Saturday so there wasn't any school anyway. Around seven o'clock my father slammed on the door. I went over to the door and opened it to find him standing there dressed in hunting clothes. "Hey How E you want to go hunting with me and your uncle Ernesto?" My old man asked I'm still surprised to see that even in his 60's he still works and does everything he did when he was 20. "Well sure I guess but hold up I got to go get my rifle from school." I replied. I went into the washroom and got cleaned up and ready. Right before I left the room I took one last look at myself; Forest Camouflage Element Jacket and Hat, Baggy Concord Jeans and my lucky pair of Prestige III shoes. I decided that it would allow me blend in enough so I left my house and got on my motorcycle and headed off for school. I made it to my school in a little less than 10 minutes. I went into my shop gate and opened it. I was surprised to see my team working on the Civic.

"Hey WTF are you guys doing here, it's Saturday?" I asked. They all turned and gave me a mock salute. "Hey don't worry about it we just thought we would finish up this project for you while you took the day off." Calvin, my best friend said. "A'ight thanks Cal. Hey do you know where my rifle is? My Unk, Old man, and I are going hunting and I need it." Calvin jerked his head towards the locker room. I nodded my thanks and went in to find a package addressed to me, I opened it to see a 50 cal Barrett right there with a bunch of camouflage skins. "Hey! Is this mine!" I asked. "Happy late birthday E Mile!" They all called back. "Thanks! Only took you guys 5 months…" I said the last part to myself as I shouldered my new gun. I thanked them again on my way out and started heading home.

I was less than 6 miles away from home when I heard a siren go off. I went over to the shoulder of the road and the cops who were behind me veered their vehicle into me sending me flying off the bike. I stood up to see that they were dressed in black uniforms…they were members of the death squads and by the look of their lack of bars I'm guessing they're rookies.

"Where you heading boy?" One of the men asked me. I decided to stay quiet; I have no words for the likes of them. "Boy maybe you can't here that well…Where are you headed?" the other man said as he put his hand on my shoulder. "It doesn't matter where I'm headed…You should be more worried about where you're heading." I replied. "And just where am I headed boy?" He asked in a threatening tone. "Hell. Tell the devil I said hi." I said as I pulled the trigger shooting the man right through the top right of his chest. The man's grip loosened on me and I took the chance to run into an old abandoned factory. I put the Urban Camouflage Skin on my rifle and hid behind a dumpster in the loading dock in the front. The other man came around trembling with hesitation as he entered the dock. I closed my eyes and began to focus, I took and deep breath in and reopened eyes. My hearing became muffled and my vision pulsated with every beat of my heart. I decided to toy with guy by throwing my voice. "Hey! Rookie you really think that it was going to be that easy?" I said throwing my voice over to a trash bin which he shot. "Shut Up! Where the F*** are you!" He screamed. "Why so damn serious? Lost your confidence?" I said amusement evident in my voice. "Where the F*** are you, you son of a Bitch!" He screamed back.

"I'm right here…" I pulled the trigger on final time and this time the bullet pierced his head.

"Boom, Headshot." I said. I went over to the man and took a knee, I placed my cross on his chest and began to speak, "The Lord _is_my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You _are_with me. Lord, please forgive this man for his actions and I ask that you protect him as you have protect me, please see to it that he makes his way to your kingdom." I pick up my cross and begin to walk away when my body surges with pain. I drop to my knees and I put my hand up to my chest and put it to my face. There is blood on my hand. I use the last of my energy to put the cross back around my neck as my sight goes black.

I had been shot in the heart.


	2. Chapter 2

I woke up to two unwanted feelings, first was the feeling of failure because I had let my guard down, second was someone poking me with a stick. I growled at whoever was doing the poking and got up. I took a good look at myself; I had some sort of armor that covered my left arm, upper and most of my lower body. Under that was a large white coat with a hood and blue interior, all in all I looked like something out of Assassin's Creed. I looked over to the asshole with the stick to realize that it was what looked to be an 8 year old girl. "Why were you poking me with a stick?" I asked as I readjusted my hood. "I-I…I thought that you were dead." The girl said. "Didn't it occur to you to check if I was breathing?" I asked. "No." She replied as her eyes went from me to her feet. "Look, don't worry about it. Name's Howard but my friends call me Emile, what's your name?" I asked. "I'm the single white rose of Wutai! Yuffie Kisaragi!" Yuffie said as she struck a pose. I would have laughed if it wasn't for the fact that, first I was supposed to be dead, I was shot through the heart; Second, Yuffie Kisaragi, Wutai, alright I'll bite, who's screwing with my head.

I was so lost in thought I had not noticed that Yuffie was dragging me into town, when I finally did I was already in front of Godo. "Young man what is it you do for a living?" Godo asked me. Did I miss something why would he be asking something like that? "Um why do you ask?" I replied. "You see it's your clothes, they are associated with assassins and also…your crossbow and the daggers that you are carrying, they are ideal weapons for the job." Godo said suspicion evident in his voice. "Huh, I to tell you the truth had no idea I was carrying these…you see I remember being shot and now I'm here in Wutai, I'm still trying to figure out how I got here." I replied. I pulled out my cross bow and put it on the table, the bow on it was a good 4 feet long and the body of the cross bow as well as the side of the bow that faced outwards was lined with a blade forged of Mythril. I beckoned a guard to come over and handed him the cross bow. At this movement I saw Godo let out a sigh of relief. After that I took out the daggers that were in the bag in my coat pocket. They, just like the bow's edge, were forged of Mythril; I took three of them and handed them to Yuffie. "Here you go Yuffie, think of it as a thank you for taking down me down the Da Chao mountain." I said as she took them. The look on her face was as if she received a gift from Leviathan. "Yuffie could you go play while I talk to…" Godo said as he gave me a questioning look. "Emile, call me Emile." I said. Godo nodded and Yuffie left to go play with her new "toy".

"You claim to have never been here before, yet you know about the Da Chao Mountain." Godo said. "I may not know why or how I got here but that doesn't mean I don't know of a couple landmarks." I retorted. "Look I'm not asking you to trust me, but at least let me stay in this country until I find out how I got here." I said. Godo got up and looked out the window, I hadn't noticed but we were in the top of the Pagoda. "You can see everything in Wutai from this spot did you know that? I fear for this countries safety, we have been at war with Shin-Ra for far too long; I myself have become paranoid of everyone who passes through this town fearing they may be spies from that dreaded company. Look, my daughter, Yuffie, trusts you so I will trust you too. But just for safety precautions, you will be followed by one of the Crescent Unit." Godo said rubbing the bridge of his nose. "I understand Godo. I would help you if I could but I will not allow myself to judge someone just based on what I have been told. If I see someone of Shin-Ra here I will stop them and tell them to leave but that is the most I can do." I told Godo. "Thank that is all I would ask of you. Claim your belongings from the guard, the crescent unit soldier will be waiting for you downstairs."

I did as I was instructed and met up with the soldier. We went around the nearby forests and mountains but we couldn't find anything that could explain how I got here. After Yuffie had got tired of playing with her friends she came along to help us search. We were looking around the forest surrounding fort Tamblin when we heard gunshots. We ran over to investigate to see a Behemoth going head to head against 3 men and 2 woman all of them wearing a black suit. "Turks." The soldier said. "Well whoever they are, they need help." I said as I loaded my cross bow with one of my many daggers. "You would dare help them!" the soldier whispered. "They haven't done anything to me. I can't let my opinion of someone change because of the words of others. Talk is cheap, actions aren't. I want you guys to stay back. If they try something report it to Godo he can use it to get the support of other nations against them." I said. The soldier and Yuffie nodded. Yuffie readied one of her daggers that I gave her but I motioned her to put it away.

I jumped out from the woods and fired two daggers into the eyes of the Behemoth. It let out a shriek as it began to bite and swing its tail around violently. I took this as a chance to jump on top of it and stab it with one of my daggers at the back of its head. I ran down the spine of the behemoth with my dagger. It let out one last shriek of pain before it fell on the floor motionless. I holstered my weapons and went up to the "Turks". "You aren't welcomed here I suggest you leave." I said. "You have quite some skill to take out a Behemoth with only three hits." The leader, Tsueng said. "My fighting abilities are none of your concern, Tsueng." I spat. "I see that you are also very resourceful to know my name without me telling you." Tsueng deducted. "How would you like to join Shin-Ra, Kid?" Reno asked. "Sorry Reno but I'm going to have to pass. I have more import things to attend to." I said as I turned on my heel and began to walk away. Not even after 2 steps I was shot with something. I pulled it out of my shoulder and held it up. I again was shot but this time by a tranquilizer dart.

The Turk Cissnei walked over to me and held me up. "We weren't asking Kid." She said as she began to drag me off. After that my body succumbed to the tranquilizer and I fell asleep.

* * *

Huh, that was longer than I expected. Sorry for the 24 hour wait. I had to take an extra shift at my shop because my dad got fired today. Doesn't matter though I'm strong and I will pull through anything life throws at me. I want everyone to remember that today Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Well that's what it says on Google. Anyway read and I hope you like this rushed chapter. Thank you for your reviews.

Amber and Dante- I'm glad that you two like it.


	3. Chapter 3

While I was unconscious I began to hear a voice speak. _"Poor, poor Emile, looks like you just can't get anything right today can you?" _The voice said. "You really think I don't recognize my own voice Howard? What do you want?" I said. I may not like to admit it but I too have a mask of a sort that laughs at every mistake I make. Howard is in fact, the real me. When I found out that Howard would not be accepted in this world, err my world; I created Emile to take his place. _"I never said that I was trying to hide who I was Emile. You may not want to admit it but you need me. I am faster, smarter, stronger, and able to do everything that you are too afraid to." _Howard said. I will never understand to this day how Howard is able to do it but, he is able to do everything that anybody else could do only better, his only downfall was that he had no use for any of his talents, he always lacked direction. "It doesn't matter how better you are than me. We need to find out how we got here, and how we get home." I argued. I never liked getting into fights with myself because every time I do, I lose. _"Emile I already know where we are, how we're here and how we get home. Look, Shin-Ra won't buy the fact that a Kid like us was able to take down a Behemoth with only 3 hits. Let me take over and I guarantee that they won't question our skills."_ Howard said with an emotionless tone. "How in Gaia did you find all that out!" I yelled. "_Relax Emile, I got it all figured out. Just sit back and relax. It's not every day you get to visit Gaia." _And with that I was ripped away from my sub-conscience.

I awoke to the uncomfortable feeling of my ears popping. I sat up to find out that I was in a plane, and not only that I was flying first class. I looked to my sides to see that I was seating in between Shuriken a.k.a. Cissnei and Reno. "Here" Reno said as he handed me a stick of gum, "It'll help with the ear popping." Cissnei said. "Thanks you two. Huh, you know I thought that you guys were going to beat the crap outta me when I woke up." I said as I took the stick of gum and popped it into my mouth. "See." I heard Reno say. Cissnei gave him a glare while I stifled a chuckle. "Hey Kid what's your name?" Cissnei asked. "The name is Emile. Nice to officially meet you Shuriken." I said offering my hand to her. "How did you-?" Cissnei began, "Know your real name? Like Tsueng said, I'm very resourceful." I said in a smooth tone. "I see." Was her only reply. Reno eyed the two of us before saying, "Hey do you guys want some alone time or something?" "No Reno. We don't need some alone time. Hey one question. What do you guys want with me?" I asked. "We already told you we wanted you to join Shin-Ra. If you want more info then you're going to need to ask whoever gets you your info." Cissnei answered. "Let me re-word my question. Who am I joining? SOLDIER, the Turks, or the Infantry?" I asked. Reno got up and went to go talk to Tsueng; he came back a moment later. "Which one you wanna join, Emile?" Reno asked. "Well the Turks, I don't see a need for my Information gathering in SOLDIER, or in Infantry. But I got one condition, I won't spy on Wutai. They took me in, I won't betray their trust." I answered. "Fair enough, Emile." Reno went over to Tsueng and Rude and began talking to them leaving Shuriken and I alone. "So why the Turks?" Shuriken asked, "Because I don't like having experiments done on me for little to no reason, I know what kind of crackpot Hojo is." I replied. "Well I'm glad you chose to join us Emile. Welcome to the Team." Shuriken said as we shook hands.

When the plane landed we met up with a few other Turks, along with Hojo and one of his helping hands. "So…this is the boy, He looks too…young to have done what you say he's done." Hojo said as he adjusted his glasses. At this moment I heard Howard say,

"_That's my cue. I'll take over from here Emile." _From there everything went black.

* * *

I apologize for the delay in my update and for the short, rushed chapter. I have been r_eally _caught up with school since it started. Don't worry I haven't abandoned the story and I will be continuing with the updates more frequently from now on. As for my other half, that is not made up. Howard, as I call him since I abandoned the name years ago is the half of me that I "locked" away in the depths of my sub-conscience who likes to pay me visits during my sleeping hours. He isn't bad but he can come off as cold, rude and at the same time caring and trustworthy. Just a tidbit I thought I would give. Thank you for reading and for any reviews. The next chapter will continue through the Point of View of my other half.

Amber X Dante-Thank you guys for your encouragement, they have really helped me.


	4. Chapter 4

It did not take long for my body to become accustomed with its original owner. I looked over to Hojo who was still examining me in disbelief. "Impossible. Simply Impossible. There is no way a boy like him could have accomplished such a feat." Hojo concluded. I walked up to him so that I was right up in his face and pulled out an Arrow Head. "Sight, the one thing animals with it rely on. You take out their sight; they panic and go into frenzy. Next is their spine, their central nervous system. Take that out and they die of suffocation because their brain can't tell their body to breath. Two shots for the Eyes, One for the Spine; Easy." I said as I pressed the Head up to his neck. Hojo looked pleased with my explanation and despite the fact I had a sharp object to his neck he put his hand on my shoulder. "I'm surprised to see someone like you wants to join the Shin-Ra." Hojo said. "Someone like me?" I asked as I put away my weapon. "Someone who thinks." Hojo answered. The Turks sent a Glare towards Hojo but still remained silent. We walked into the building and Hojo began explaining to me the reason for his being there, not that I didn't already know, but he looked proud of the work he has done, so I decided to let him explain.

"So now that you know about what I do here, which division are you planning on joining?" Hojo said as he finished his speech. "I was planning on joining the Turks." I said coldly. "Really and what do you plan on doing there?" Hojo asked. "Information gathering as well as Black/Sensitive Ops." I answered. "Hmm…Tell me something that I've kept secret." Hojo ordered. "Sephiroth is your son; you shot a Turk by the name of Vincent Valentine; and Lucrecia is Sephiroth's mother. If you want I can go on to explain the experiments you preformed on Vincent, and on Sephiroth." I said. Hojo stopped in his tracks and the Turks looked at me astonished. "How did you find all that out?" Hojo asked, he seemed to be trembling, but I could tell whether it was Fear or Anger. "I have my ways, don't you worry. Remember that age does not measure a person's ability. Tsueng could you tell me where I can go to get a uniform? The soon I can get started the better." I said. Tsueng nodded and Hojo had walked off muttering something about having experiments to attend to. Tsueng had Shuriken show me to an apartment complex and after talking to the landlord, got me a key.

The Apartment was pretty plain, white walls, hardwood floors and some leather furniture. "So why am I here? I thought I was supposed to go get a uniform." I asked. "You are, go into the room on the right that will be your living quarters for now, you'll find your uniform in there." Shuriken said. I went into the room and Shuriken followed, the room wasn't any different from the living room besides the fact that the furniture wasn't all leather. I went into the closet and pull out a Brown Formal Suit and a Dark Blue Shirt and Tie, in the interior pocket of the suit there was a pair of blacked out professional shades. The Shoes were not that different then the Prestige IIIs that I wore and in the top shelf of the closet there was a flip phone. "Nice threads, thanks." I told Shuriken as I began to get undressed. I was already about half naked when I realized that Shuriken was still standing there beat-red and breathing heavily. "Uh Shuriken, are you planning on watching?" I asked. "Oh. Oh my god! I'm sorry! I didn't…I'll be going now. Oh my room is the one on the left should you need to talk to me." Shuriken said as she stumbled out. I couldn't help but laugh. She acts so reserved but despite all her training she still is just like a teenager. I went to go take and a shower and when I got out I found Shuriken there with her cell phone out, it sounded like something work related so while she was distract I got changed into my suit and swiped my shoulder-length hair back letting it spike back naturally. I looked in the back of the closet and found a precision combat rifle and a pistol. When Shuriken finished talking on the phone she turned to me and said, "We have work. We're going to Modeohiem there is a village there that Shin-Ra wants us to investigate. If we find something that the Company doesn't want the public to see, we destroy it." I nodded and loaded my new arsenal and donned my new shades.

I have a feeling that I might grow to like this Job…

* * *

Hello, as my counterpart said this chapter was written in my P.O.V. and until the P.O.V. switches back, Emile has decided to allow me to take control once again to write it. Hopefully I live up to your expectations of his story. Thank you for Reading and Thank you for any reviews. Shadow Elf, glad you liked chapter 3 and thank you for your kind words.

I apologize for the short chapter, but I felt I would be rushing it if I went straight into the mission. Next Chapter will be very improved, you have my word.


	5. Chapter 5

After Shuriken briefed me on the details of the mission, we departed for Shin-Ra HQ. When we arrived, Reno and Rude were already there at the helipad, waiting for us. "So Rookie, you ready for your first mission?" Reno asked. "Just say the word." I said as I drew my rifle from its holster. "That's what I wanted to hear. Let's go." Reno said as we boarded the Helicopter. I was suspicious of the mission to say the least, what could be in need of investigation within Modeohiem? I looked over to Reno and Shuriken; both of them seem to be lost in their own thoughts. "Reno, Shuriken, Rude do you have any idea what might be the reason for sending us?" I asked. "It's our job." Shuriken answered curtly. "Cissnei, he meant, why would they send the 4 of us to investigate a place like Modeohiem; and Emile has a point. Why would they send the 3 Turks and a rookie out just to investigate a location if they weren't sure it had anything that could threaten us?" Rude inquired. "Anyway it doesn't make a difference. It just means that we're going to have a lot more fun." Reno added. "Reno, it would be better if you stay on your toes. I don't want to have to save your asses from another Behemoth." I said, wiping away that cocky smirk off Reno's face. "Drop Zone E.T.A. is 10 minutes. Prepare for landing." We heard the pilot say. I got up and opened the hatch door. "What are you doing?" Shuriken said a hint of worry in her voice. "I'm heading out. I said I do Black/Sensitive Operations. That means I don't drop off at the same location the rest of you do. Reno, just give the word." I answered. "Reno, you're not letting him drop out here or-"

"Go."

I jumped at without a second thought. I still had my hand on a rope attached to the helicopter, so I didn't go straight into the ground. I quite literally hit the ground running with a dull thud. When I landed I noticed that my jacket was ripped and that it smelled like…Perfume? I closed my eyes and self-induced an adrenaline rush, I could hear the faint voice of Shuriken cursing me for jumping and Reno for letting me jump.

"Why the hell did you let him jump, Reno!" Shuriken yelled. "Relax Cissnei; it's just the way he works. I'm surprised to see you act this way over a kid. Do I smell romance in the air?" Reno joked. "N-no! W-well…wait, you said that was just the way he works. What do you mean?" Cissnei asked, quickly avoiding the direction the conversation was headed. "Cissnei, you may not have noticed it but the look in Emile's eyes, they're different from before. The eyes he bears now are that of a killer. Something tells me that he knows what he's doing. Something tells me that he's done something like this before…right Rude?" Reno said. "Just let him do this…his way Cissnei. He'll pull through for us…He did before and something tells me he always will." Rude said. "But…alright. Reno, Rude please don't tell him about way I acted." Cissnei said. "Do you mean Tsueng or Emile?" Reno asked. "Both." Cissnei said, after that they fell out of earshot. If I added more adrenaline, I would be in a constant rush for a good week, so I didn't bother trying to hear more.

The cold mountain wind whipped across my face, I took in a series of deep breaths to end the rush, and the cold air stung my nostrils with each breath. When I had calmed down I picked up my rifle and attached a silencer. I pulled my shades down from my forehead to my eyes and made my way to the objective. The sky was grayed out and the wind was picking up. It didn't take a genius to tell that there was going to be a blizzard. When I was 5 Miles from the objective I could hear gunshots fired and people running in fear. I thought that Modeohiem was abandoned I guessed I learned something that day. When I finally reached the objective, I was attacked by a series of monster's whose faces resembled humans. I thought for a second that it could be an Angeal or Genesis copy, but the faces did not look even close to that of either of them. These must be prototypes. I down sighted my rifle and fired. The force of the shot surprised me and made me stumble back and miss. One of the monsters jump behind me and stabbed my leg with what looked to be a trident. This caused me to induce an adrenaline rush, but this time I had lost all sight, I couldn't hear, I couldn't even breathe. I moved based off feeling. I could feel everything from the blood that poured from my leg to the screaming of the monsters. I fired my rifle and I felt something hit the ground. I jumped and avoided a fire spell from another monster. My body seemed to move on its own accord, like my instincts were guiding my every movement. After a couple more shots I stopped feeling the damned yelling of the monsters and began to hear the yelling of people and of Shuriken. My sight returned to me as well as the pain of my wounds. I saw that Shuriken, Reno and Rude were standing in front of me.

"We got to get moving this place is going to be destroyed in an air strike!" I heard Reno yell over the people's voices. "What about them. We can't leave them." I said afraid of what Reno might say. "It's not our problem. Now let's go to the EZ, that's an order." Reno said coldly. I felt so many emotions at that point. Anger, sadness, sorrow and so many others. I induced one last rush, this one worse than the one before.

All I remember is running into town. Then it all went black.

* * *

Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will be the last in my P.O.V.

Chapter 7 will be written by Emile. Thank you for any reviews and thank you for reading.

Ultimenthero-Thank you for your review and for your wishful thinking.

Fredrik Trallis-Thank you for the Invitation to the site. I'm glad that you like the story.

Thank you to everybody who has reviewed so far and to everyone who has read. I'm glad that you all took time to read our story.

~Howard/Emile A.K.A. Notorious Anti-Hero


	6. Chapter 6

"Where am I…? Why am I here?" I thought aloud. My voice echoed in the dark abyss, that was my current location. I decided to try walking in one direction and see if I could find my way out. As I walked, my last moments of consciousness played repeatedly within my head. What on Earth, err Gaia could have happened to bring me to where I was at this particular moment?

"Simple Howard, you blacked out." A voice said. Well yes, there is that. I did blackout from blood loss when I tried to run into the village, looking for survivors. However, I did not recall waking up so that means…

" I know that it's you come out of hiding, E. Mile." I called behind me; sure enough, E. Mile emerged from the shadows dressed in strange attire. His face was covered with a Crimson and Black Mask that resembled a Dragon; he also wore red layered armor that covered him from head to toe, to complete the look, a long red katana was strapped on to the outside of his arm. I looked at him, amused to say the least and despite, the many things I could have I told him and decided to go with the most important one topic.

"Where did you get the Dragoon armor, E. Mile?" I asked. Emile only laughed and began to make his way in the same direction that I was heading. I followed closely behind as he stopped laughing and took a more serious demeanor. He looked to the ground and with great disappointment said, "You think that after treating us as Allies they would have…asked us for permission to do something like that."

"Something like what, E. Mile?" I inquired. turned around and directed my look to the mask. Its eyes shone bright in the perpetual darkness that besieged us. Then a voice declared, "I am the New King of Dragons and Father to all Summons, my name is Neo Bahamut." The Mask's declaration took me by surprise. The Neo Bahamut. My eyes grew wide, my blood boiled in the realization, "They infused us with a Summon!" I yelled. Emile only nodded and continued on the path we had drawn out for ourselves. I did what anyone in my position would do, the only thing I really could do…

Just press on.

We walked for what seemed like hours in silence. Too much had happened in too little time. I think we both just needed to let it sink in. E. Mile was the first of us to speak.

"You know for someone who has been locked away in his subconscious for 3 years; you've matured a great measure."E. Mile said.

"How so?"

"Before, you would hold a grudge against the Turks; yet, at the moment I see no ill will in your mind."

"There is no point in that now. There is no way to correct what they did. So be it, we may not be capable of combating alterations such as this one. However, we can, at all times adapt to alterations."

"There lay truth in those words, Howard." Neo Bahamut said.

"Still. This may play out to our advantage. , I believe that you should take over for the time being."

"You may be right. Save for, our success lies on Neo Bahamut. Will you give us your strength?" requested E. Mile.

"We are now one and the same; I do not see any harm to my benediction." Neo Bahamut answered.

We walked for a couple more minutes, until finally we came across light.

" Do you remember our prayer before we came to Gaia?"

"As if it was yesterday."

We shook hands one final time and recited the prayer, "The Lord _is _my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness For His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You _are _with me."

With that I ventured back into the darkness as E. Mile, reluctantly went towards the light of day. As I ventured into the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I felt no fear because I had my most powerful allies with me.

My own Resolve and the other side of the coin that is my other half, as well as the new addition the mind of Emile.

* * *

I apologize for the delay. I had other matters to attend. I will try to update soon. Believe me. I will not leave the story unfinished, but I am also working on a Fan-fiction in Legend of Zelda. Therefore, updates will be slightly erratic. I'm sorry for Emile's name not showing up; you see his name is spelled E. Mile but whenever I type that in it tries to take it out of the chapter.

As Always, Thank you for reading and for any reviews.

~Howard/E. Mile A.K.A. Notorious Anti-Hero


	7. Chapter 7

It was not long after my little talk with Howard that I returned to the world of the conscious. I awoke to find myself in a Hospital bed with Shuriken sleeping in the chair next to me. I decided it best I not wake her and got up and examined myself. I was covered in scars and on my face there was a marking that resembled a dragon that covered the entire left side of my face. The markings features matched mine, its eye over mine, and its nose over my nose, etc. I looked to my beside to see the clothes that I came to Shin-Ra the Armor plating was engraved with more markings that represented the dragon's body, wings and left arm.

"I'm guessing these markings are to allow you to influence my own attributions…" I analyzed.

"_You're Correct E. Mile. Even Though, Try Not To Call On Me Too Often." _Neo Bahamut said.

"You don't have to worry about that." I then noticed a Letter on top of the clothes marked with a white rose. I put on my clothes and opened the letter.

-Dear E. Mile,

It's Yuffie, well not really it's just a letter from me but you get the Idea don't you? How is everything? Father's been worried about you, we all have. N-not that I've been! A Ninja doesn't need to worry about another Ninja like yourself but it's really, really, really BORING without you here. So uh could you come and visit us sometime? So we can hang out. I know you're working for the bad-guys now and so does Godo. We don't hold it against you, you had no choice. I-I miss you and it would mean the world to me if you could stop by sometime.

Sincerely,

Yuffie

P.S. Just wondering any cute guys there?

I couldn't help but laugh after reading the letter. Yuffie was really caring when she wanted to be, and she does have a point I should go visit. It would give me time to master manifesting Neo Bahamut's power and discovering some of my own if I have any. I heard someone stirring and turned my attention to the now waking Shuriken. I put the letter in my pocket and sat down on the bed.

"So how'd you sleep Shuriken?" I asked.

The Moment she opened her eyes I could tell she had been crying and she looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. Yet she smiled at me and replied, "Pretty good how about you?"

I got up and looked out the window to Midgar. It was so polluted it felt like this place was constantly covered in this perpetual darkness and it was starting to eat away at my very soul.

"How long?" I asked.

"Question of my life. If you mean how long have you been out, I think it was a month counting today." Shuriken replied.

"Shuriken why were you crying? You weren't worried about me were you?" I asked.

At first Shuriken thought I was teasing but after she saw my expression she knew I was dead serious. She looked to the ground and replied, "I wasn't worried I just felt guilty. I was the one who proposed you be infused with the Summon and I felt responsible for what happened to you at Modeohiem. So much that I proposed that you'd be given some time off away from Shin-Ra. You are to leave tomorrow for Wutai, after being discharged from here and we'll come and get you after a month; from there you'll be transferred over to SOLDIER for training and then back to the Turks when your mentor believes you're ready. You're already packed and your crossbow and daggers are on the table over there. I'll see you when you get back" Shuriken said as she left the room after indicating my weapons and pack.

"Thanks Shuriken and get some sleep." I called to her as I went to lunch.

A Month in Wutai…I can't wait to see the look on Yuffie's face when she hears this.

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Just a short chapter from Myself and Howard before we leave on personal business. Next chapters will be Wutai.

- Life By A Different Name A.K.A. Howard E. Mile Hernandez


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